Ball-forming machine.



G. E. ABBOTT.

BALL FORMING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 31, l9l2. RENEWED JAN. 31,1917. v l wfi wn Patented; May 15, 19172..

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

IVlT/VESSES- INVENTOR- G. E. ABBOTT.

BALL FORMING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 31, 1912. nznzwrn JAN. 31, 1917.

1 22mm Patented May15, 191:1.

Uf ii I I'VITNESSES' GEORGE E. ABBOTT, 01E HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT.

BALL-FORMING MACHINE.

il.22ti,4l35.

Specification of letters Patent.

Patented May 115, 1912.

Application filed may 31, 1912, Serial 1t 0. 700,610. Renewed January 31, 1917. Serial lilo. 145,812.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that ][,Gnonen 1E. Anso'rr, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented anew and improved Ball-Forming Machine, oi which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the class of devices tor making metal balls which are used for various purposes, and an object of the invention, among others, is to provide a machine of this class that shall be particularly simple in construction, edective and re id in operation, and one in which the forming operation is of a very simple character.

One form of machine embodying my invention and in the construction and use oil which the objects herein set out, as Well as others, may be attained, is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a View in side elevation oil part of a machine embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a view in vertical section through said machine, the standard being at the farther side as seen in Figs. 11 and 2.

Fig. 8 is a detail view oi one of the lorrm ing rings.

liig. l is a detail view showing a modified form of cutter.

Fig. 5 is a front view of the cutter head and parts. mounted thereon.

' in the accompanying drawings the numeral 6 denotes a standard suitably constructt cd of any proper material to support the oil till

2' operative parts of the machine.

A brachet 7, attached to the standard, supports a guide 8 secured to the bracket in any suitable manner, and a bearing 9 secured to the guide and containing a shaft 10 for a driving pulley ll. A. crank pin 12 projects from the shaft at the end opposite said pulley into a slide 13 located in a slot id in a cutter head 15. This cutter head is mounted in a slideway 16 in the guide 8 and is held in place as by means of a face plate It? suitably secured to the guide ti.

A shear die 18' is secured to the cutter head in position to operate in connection with a tubular shear die 19 secured to a base 20. A stop plate 21 is also secured to the cutter head. The die 18 is preferably round, as shown in Fig. 5, havingcntting recesses 22 disposed about its periphery. 'lhis die is held in place as by a clamp 2t secured by a screw 23, the clamp being recessed as at 25 to straddle the projecting end of the tubular shear die 19: The base 20 is adjustably held in place in the slideway 116 as by a support 26 secured as by means of screws to the guide 8 and holding the base 20 in place. A feed device including teed rolls 2728 is supported in proximity to the cutting dies, these rolls being properly formed to feed a wire or rod of stock 29 from a roll or any other suitable source oi supply. A ratchet 30 is secured to the shaft of the teed roll 28 and pawls 32 mounted on a supporting arm 31 engage the ratchet to give it a step by step movement in a manner well own in constructions of this class.

A connecting rod-33 connects the pawl supporting arm with an operating arm 34lsecured to a pawl operating shatt 35, to

which shaft a cam lever 36 is secured and 7 extends in position to be operated by a cam 37 secured to the pulley ll.

An opening 38 extends through the guide into a hopper 39. Pieces or forms 4-0, to. be formed into balls, drop through this opening as they are cut from the rod 29, and are thus placed in position to be fed into a former including former rings ll- 112. A plate i3 is secured to the bracket 7, and the ring ll, in the term oi' an annuhis, is supported bythis platens shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings. This ring has a forming groove it with an inlet thereto, this inlet being located to receive the pieces ll) from the hopper 89. An outlet opening 46 extends through the ring to the opposite side thereof at a point near the inlet and in position to communicate with the discharge passage d7 through the frame. A. guide 48 projects from the "lace oi": the ring 41 to guide the formed pieces through the outlet opening to, this guide being of a term to fit within the forming groove 49 in the former ring 4-2.

The former ring 42, in the shape oi an annulus is carried upon a rotatable ring sup port 50 mounted in a sleeve 51 adjustably fastened in a supporting plate 52 secured as by means of bolts 53 to the bracket 7. A flange 54 is provided with openings for the reception or" a pin or lilte tool for adjusting till llil

ltltl the position of the sleeve, said sleeve having oil passages extending therethrough to the bearing at the face thereof. A cam 55 is secured to the ring support 50 and a thrust ring 56 backs-up'the ring support, ball bearings 57 being located between a flange on the cam and the thrust ring.

A driving gear 58 is secured to the shaft 59 of the ring support, this driving gear bewith the cam face of the cam and the other in position to underlie a plunger 61 slidably mounted in a bracket 62 and having an agitator 63 secured thereto and pro ecting into the hopper 39 to stir up the forms and insure their delivery to the inlet 45.

In the operation of the machine the wire I 29' is intermittently fed into the tubular shear die 19 and against the stop 21, and from which a piece of suitable length is severed by the operation of the shear dies 1819. These pieces falling into the hopper 39 are stirred by the agitator 63 and an tomatically fed through the inlet 45 into the forming groove between the rings 417-42. The rod 29 is round so that the pieces are round in one direction and the grooves 44-49 are roughened to insure a grasp upon the pieces and cause them to be fed into the groove. As the ring 42 is rotated by the mechanism described the pieces are molded into shape, and each piece when it has traveled the length of the groove passes out through the outlet 46 in a substantially round mass. The degree of pressure between the forming rings, as well as their relative position is determined by the ring support 54:v adjustably mounted as hereinbefore described.

It will be noted that the plate 21 and the shear die 18 may be adjusted rotataby to present new surfaces for contact with the end of the rod 29 and for cutting off a. piece from said rod.

While I have shown and described herein one form of mechanism embodying my invention this may be changed to a greater or lesser extent within the scope of the appended claims and yet embody the 'invention. l

The device illustrated in Fig. 4 embodies a tubular shear die having an opening 72 through which the round shear die 71 operates to sever the pieces or forms from the rod 2-9. p

The machine herein described is especially A passage members havin 4 ing groove between them, one of said members being shaped with an inlet to said groove and an outlet therefrom, of a size sufficient to permit passage of a ball when the plates are in working position, said inlet and outlet being located at substantially the same distance from the center of the former members, means to prevent passage of a ball from the outlet to the inlet end of said groove, means for supporting said former members against the thrust of an article between them, and means for rotating one of said former members.

2. In a ball forming machine, two former members shaped to provide an annular forming groove between them, one of said members being shaped with an inlet to said groove and an outlet therefrom of a size suflicient to permit passage of a ball when the plates are in working position, said outlet extending through said member to the side opposite that containing the groove, and

said inlet and outlet being located at substantially the same distance from the center of the former members, means to prevent passage of a ball from the outlet to the inlet 1 end of said groove, means for supporting said former members against the thrust of an article between them, and means for rotating one of said former members.

3. In a ball forming machine, two former members each having a portion of an annular grooveformed between them, one of said an inlet to said groove, an

outlet therefrom lbcated at substantially the supporting plate secured to the frame at a distance therefrom, a flanged sleeve adjustably mounted in said plate and wholly supported thereby, a former member support ro-' tatably mounted in and wholly supported by said sleeve with a bearing against said flange, means for rotating said support, a former member secured to said support, and a former member secured to said bracket,

, tance therefrom, a flanged sleeve adjustably mounted in said-plate, a member support rotatably mounted in said sleeve and wholly supported thereby, means for rotating said support, a thrust bearing located between said support and said flange, said sleeve having oil passages extending therethrough to said thrust bearing and to the bearing of said support and wholly supported thereby, a former member mounted on said support, and a former member secured against rotation to the bracket, said former members having an annular forming groove between them.

6. In a ball forming machine, a bracket, a supporting plate secured to the bracket at a distance therefrom with a hub projecting from, said plate, a flanged sleeve screw threaded into said plate and hub and wholly supported thereby, said flangehaving means for rotating the sleeve for adjustment purposes, a former member support rotatably mounted in said sleeve and wholly supported thereby and having a bearin against said flange, means for rotating t e support, a former member secured to said support, and a former member secured against rotation to said bracket, said former members having an annular forming groove between them 7. In a ball forming machine, a bracket, a former member having a portion of an annular ball forming groove in its face, means for rigidly securing said member against rotation to said bracket, the ends of said groove terminating short one of another and the same distance from the periphery oi? the members, said member having a recess in one end of said groove and an opening from the opposite end thereoi of a size sufficient to permit passage of a ball when the forming members are in working position, a forming member having a complemental part of said groove formed in its face, a support for the last mentioned forming member, means for rotating it, and means for supporting said members against the thrust of an article be tween them.

8. lln a ball forming machine, a bracket, a supporting plate secured to said bracket and spaced apart therefrom, a hub projectin from said plate, an adjustably mounts flanged sleeve screw threaded into said plate and hub and wholly supported thereby, said flange being located in the space between the supporting plate and bracket, two former members located in said space and having complemental parts of an annular ball forming groove between them,.one of said members being rotatably mountedin said sleeve and wholly supported thereby and the other being secured against rotation to said bracket, and means for supporting the thrust of an article in the annular groove between said ball forming members.

9. A ball forming machine including a rigidly supported plate, a supporting sleeve adjustably secured Within said plate and wholly supported thereby, a former member rotatably mounted in said sleeve. and wholly supported thereby, means for rotating the former member, and a former member rigidly supported on the machine, said former members having an annular ball forming groove between them.

10. A ball forming machine including a bracket, bolts projecting from said bracket,

a supporting plate secured upon said bolts,

a flanged sleeve screw threaded into said plate and wholly supported thereby, a former member having a shaft extending into said sleeve and wholly supported thereby, means for rotating the former member, and a second former member rigidly secured to the frame. 1

ll. lln a ball forming machine, two former members each having complemental parts of an annular groove between them, means for preventing passage of a ball from the outlet to the inlet end of said groove, one of said members having an inlet therein into one end or said groove, and an outlet from the opposite end of said groove through said member at a distance from its edge, and means for rotating one of said members. 7

12. A. ball forming machine including a bracket, supporting members, one of which has a flange providing a shoulder and which is rotatably supported in the bracket, former members of ring shape supported in coiiperative relation with each other, one

being'mounted on the shoulder on said rotatable supporting member, said former members each having a circular in its face, the ends of which terminate in the same circular line, an outlet irom the groove therein large enough to permit passage ci a ball when the former members are in working position,- and means for preventing passage of a ball from the outlet to the inlet end of said groove, means for separating the ends of the groove.

13. In a ball forming machine, two dormer members each having a circular ball 'lormllll ing groove in-its face, the ends of both of said grooves terminating in the same circular line, and one of said members having an opening from the end of the groove therein and extending therethrough from the front face to the back thereof, and means for rotating one of said supporting members.

14:. A ball forming machine including a rigidly supported plate, a supporting sleeve secured within said plate and wholly supported thereby, a former member rotatably ed thereby, means for rotating the former member, and a former member supported .by the machine, said former members having an annular ball forming groove between them.

15. In a ball forming machine, two former members, each having complemental parts of an annular ball forming groove between them, one of said parts having an inlet to said groove and one of said parts having an outlet from said groove, both said inlet and outlet being located at substantially the same distance from the center of the former members and of a size to permit passage of a ball when said former members are in Working position, means for preventing passage of a ball from the outlet to the inlet end of said groove, and means for rotating one of said members.

16. In a ball forming machine, two former members each having a circular ball form-.

ing groove in its face, the ends of both of said grooves terminating in the same cir-. cular line, and one of said members having an opening from the end of the groove therein of a size sufiioient to permit passage of a ball when the former members are in working position.

GEORGE E. ABBOTT.

Witnesses:

ARTHUR B. JENKINS, EVA L. SToUoHToN. 

